Legal Terms
by LongRider
Summary: What if Clark had gone further than metropolis after destroying the ship? What if he'd gone to L.A? Set in season 3 of Smallville and season 3 of Angel
1. New evidence

No copyright infringement or insult is intended. Reviews are welcome, lawsuits are not.

Lilah looked at her ashen reflection in the pristine, crystal clear mirror of the expensive yet tastefully furnished bathroom, as she filled the sink with water.

She had finally admitted it.

She'd been feeling dizzy and nauseous the whole time Linwood Morrow had been prattling on about their latest initiative to try and get Angel on side. While trying to ignore the scratching sounds of Gavin Parks studious note taking.

She could lie to others, had lied in fact. Hoping she was wrong.

She'd barely made it to the facilities before she'd dropped to her knees and emptied the contents of her rebellious stomach.

Looking into her own eyes, she couldn't lie to herself anymore.

She'd bought several different tests on her way home, paid for with cash so as to prevent a paper trail,_ she spent enough time looking over her shoulder already,_ they were lined up like members of a jury, giving her their unanimous verdict.

She was pregnant.

Lilah Morgan, lawyer.

Junior partner at Wolfram and Hart.

Vice president for the special projects division.

Was going to be a mother.

There was just one problem.

What was she going to do when the senior partners found out?


	2. Past cases

Lilah Morgan fought to suppress a vexed sigh.

_How hard is it to find one person in L.A. with the kind of resources I have at my command?_

Although, the term person was suspect. He'd looked like a human in his mid twenties.

But there had to be some kind of demon involved. _She'd been on the pill damn it! _That burn scar on his chest should have been her first warning.

Not that it mattered now. She was currently incubating some sort of demon spawn and she needed to know what her options were.

She knew far too much about mystical pregnancies to just go to a clinic to take care of it without finding out what the consequences could be to her own body and mind.

Hell, just reading about Angel's number two Cordelia Chase had been troubling. The ex-cheerleader had gotten knocked up on a one night stand and had come to term in the space of days.

Lilah looked down fearfully at her abdomen. _Still flat and toned thank you very much._

It had taken Angels team killing the demon to save Chase.

Lilah actually did sigh this time. As she'd told Lindsey MacDonald once. _I hate not having all the information. _

Not for the first time she'd asked herself how she could have been so reckless?

She'd already had two close calls.

First, Darla and Drusilla's little massacre at Holland Manners home.

Second, barely surviving her review, thanks mostly to Lindsey MacDonald flipping out and actually scaring the board claiming his evil hand was responsible.

_Third times the charm._

The bartender had called him Cal. Which could be short for Callum, Calvin or any other name that started that way.

Lilah hadn't been all that interested at the time. She had been there looking for some stress relief from her work. _And it didn't include polite conversation. _

He'd been perfect. Big, pretty and dumb. She'd had no qualms about using him for a bit of fun.

_Apparently she'd gotten more than that._

The private investigator she'd hired, _a real one, not an amateur like Angel,_ had asked her to write down anything she remembered from that night, no matter how inconsequential. Short of a physical description of her bedmate, the details had been few.

She'd already had the hotel room they'd used swept for bugs and listening devices. It wasn't out of the realms of possibility for another member of the firm to be trying to get dirt on her so that they could get ahead.

It was a well known fact that most promotions from within the company came from somebody dying. Lilah herself had gotten the vice presidency from stepping into dead man's shoes. _Thank you Holland Manners._

If you wanted a better position within the firm, most of the time you had to take it from the current holder. That meant using allies. And having dirt on an ally so you could both enforce their cooperation and ensure their loyalty was the easiest way to go. Nobody lasted very long trying to go it alone._ Just look at what happened to Lee Mercer. _

_Finally. _Her inside jacket pocket started vibrating. Taking out her phone she answered the call from her investigators number.

"Tell me you found him."

"Tell me why you're looking for me." _It was him!_ She didn't know for certain how he'd gotten the drop on her investigator, but could imagine. Either way he'd saved her some time. Hopefully he could save her some trouble too by giving her some answers.

"We need to talk. Face to face."


	3. Hostile witness

Lilah sat at a small table inside Caritas. Watching the entrance like a hawk, waiting for _him. _

Her navy blue dress suit was immaculate, her manicured nails beating a staccato rhythm on the tables surface. Her long legs were crossed in a casual fashion, but with her back to the wall so nobody could sneak up behind her, she felt anything but casual.

With such short notice, the karaoke bar was the only neutral ground that she knew of that would be both safe thanks to a sanctuary spell and provide a level of anonymity.

Everybody came to Caritas.

One person who had come to Caritas clearly hadn't gotten the hint. Lilah watched as one of the waiters brought over a drink she hadn't ordered.

Looking to the clueless idiot who was responsible, Lilah raised the glass in salute as he smiled hopefully at her.

Lilah smiled sweetly at him and then slowly shook her head and mouthed the word 'no' clearly for him to see.

Undeterred, the idiot in question approached the table.

Lilah reached into her right jacket pocket.

Just as he placed his drink down on the table Lilah placed a handgun down, the business end aimed at his groin. Freezing him in his tracks.

"Now, just so we're clear, it's not me, it's you. I'm not interested in you, now go away before I turn you into a eunuch." Before he could say anything a large hand clamped down on his shoulder and squeezed. _Hard._

"I'd follow the lady's advice if I were you." Turning to face the owner of the hand, he looked up into the eyes of a tall, well built man in a leather jacket, jeans and biker boots who seemed to be gleefully enjoying his humiliation.

When the hand on his shoulder squeezed even harder, coming painfully close to fracturing his collarbone, he decided to save his anatomy over his dignity and made the smart choice of scurrying away as fast as possible.

Noticing that the commotion had gathered an audience. The Host quickly approached the stage and grabbed the microphone.

"Okay everyone, this next song is for the heartbreaker at the back." All eyes turned back to the stage as the Host started singing Shorty Long's 'Devil with a blue dress on'.

Lilah upended the drink into the planter by the wall. She couldn't help giving him a once over. He looked just as good as she remembered. Realising the turn her mind had taken she mentally chastised herself. _Thinking like that in the first place is the reason you're in this situation!_

"You point guns at every man who approaches your table?" Lilah smirked as she put the gun away.

"Just the ones who can't take a hint." Shrugging in acknowledgement as he sat down, he looked her in the eyes and asked.

"Why did you call me here?" Reaching into her inside jacket pocket, she retrieved a business card as he helped himself to the other drink left there. _Was that a class ring on his finger?_

"I'm Lilah Morgan, I'm a lawyer at Wolfram and Hart . . . and you are?" She dropped the card on the table. He didn't pick it up.

"Not impressed. What do you want?" It took a moment for the words to register. _Straight to business then._ Lilah could appreciate that.

"I need a name."

"You didn't before counsellor." Lilah fought hard to remain calm as he looked at the Host singing on stage.

"I wasn't pregnant before." That seemed to get his attention. His head snapped back to face her.

"Pregnant?" If the bewildered tone in his voice was any indication. Lilah realised he hadn't done this to her on purpose. _Of course, he could just be a talented liar._

"You do remember what we did right? Because if you were awake in sex ed class you'd know what we did has consequences." As she talked, he quickly glanced down at her abdomen. It had to be a trick of the light, because Lilah could have sworn she saw his eyes flash an electric blue.

"I remember you screamed a lot." Gritting her teeth at his smug look. Lilah fought the urge to pull out her gun again and continued.

"Look, despite the fact we used protection, I'm pregnant. Now we both could go back and forth with the I don't believe you's . . ."

"I believe you." He interrupted. Momentarily distracting her. _That was different._

"Okay . . . right . . . don't interrupt. Despite appearances it's obvious you aren't human, so I need to know who and what you are." He leaned forward and stared into her eyes for a second before answering.

"No you don't. But if it helps, you can call me Kal." Accepting it as a small start, Lilah continued.

"Okay Kal, I need to know what species you are because I'm carrying your spawn and a lack of knowledge could put the damn thing in danger." _It could put me in danger!_

"I can't help you." Lilah heard the honesty in his voice, after years of working with liars and lawyers she had developed an ear for the truth.

"Why not? What are you?" She asked him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." The challenge in his eyes clear. Lilah leaned forward and matched his stare.

"Try me." She was getting tired of this. _I need answers dammit!_

"My name is Kal-El and I'm from another planet." _The hard way it is then._ Lilah gave him a look that had reduced many people, humans and demons alike to urinating puddles of fear. It had no effect on him. _He either doesn't know, or is too stupid to realise the danger he's in._

"Don't mess me around pal, I could make you regret being born." A look of something like pain flashed across his face, but was gone before he spoke again.

"You're welcome to try, but the fact remains I don't have any information for you." Lilah had seen the opening and decided to push.

"Poor boy. No more like you back home?" Lilah smiled cruelly at the perceived weakness. He flinched at her words, then something inside him visibly tightened.

It was Lilah's turn flinch as his eyes flashed a fiery red.

"No home left, I destroyed it." There was steel in his voice, making her wonder if she had bitten off more than she could chew. Deciding on a more conciliatory tone she leaned back in her seat.

"If the people I work for find out about this they could make things extremely difficult for both of us." He finished the drink and nonchalantly asked.

"Define difficult?"


	4. Discovery

Halla and Noni ran faster than they ever had before.

Their simple assignment had turned into an unmitigated disaster.

When the two sisters realised they had been spotted by their target they had left in a hurry. _They didn't get hazard pay for this crap. _

They were both mind readers in the employ of Wolfram and Hart.

As mind readers, _or receivers as they thought of themselves in private,_ they had lived their entire lives knowing exactly what everybody was thinking. Because with the exception of vampires _and who really wanted to know what they were thinking?_ anybody who wasn't a mind reader was transmitting their thoughts for every mind reader to receive.

After a good meal and a lot of alcohol on a double date with a particularly sweet pair of interns from the typing pool, they had explained how it was to live among people who transmitted their thoughts all day long.

They had likened it to being stuck in a traffic jam next to a jackass who had their windows down and radio turned up to full volume so everybody in the immediate vicinity could share their taste in music whether they wanted to or not. If two mind readers worked together they could block most of it out, but it was always there. Hence the reason they always worked in pairs.

Mr Morrow had asked them to follow Miss Morgan for a few days because her behaviour of late had been unusual.

What had been really unusual was that Miss Morgan was no longer transmitting her thoughts.

Usually they only needed to be on a line of sight with someone to receive what they were transmitting.

They had never had to actively try to pull a persons thoughts out of a mind before. But with Miss Morgan they were being blocked by someone or something.

They couldn't receive anything from the man she was meeting with either. If they had the time they might have asked them both just how they were preventing their thoughts from being transmitted.

Unfortunately Miss Morgan and her companion had noticed they were being watched.

They had left the club and raced to their getaway car when they saw the look of recognition in Miss Morgan's eyes.

In the time it had taken them to get in and start the engine, Miss Morgan _and her date? Contact? Informant?_ Had appeared in the entranceway.

And that was when things turned surreal.

The expensive sports car _there were nice perks to working for Wolfram and Hart_, went from zero to sixty inside of a few seconds, to jolting to a dead stop. The front of the car crashed against a proverbial immovable object and was crumpled like a beer can around the mystery man who was now stood unharmed in the centre of what used to be the engine block of their car.

The instant he vanished, Noni pulled a dazed and bleeding Halla off of the steering wheel, _she hadn't put on her seatbelt,_ and ran from the scene of the accident.

Whoever or whatever was strong enough to destroy a car, shield their thoughts and be able to appear and disappear at will was something the two mind readers knew they didn't want to be involved with.

Making it to the end of the alleyway they came skidding to a halt to find _him_ waiting for them.

There had been no thoughts to warn them, no moving shadows on the surrounding walls and ground. _Just one moment all clear, the next moment there he was._

"Who are you?" He demanded. Noni looked to Halla, who was still holding her head with one blood smeared hand and leaning on her even more now that they had stopped.

"Who sent you?" Suddenly the weight of Halla was off Noni's shoulder as her sister passed out. Noni looked down expecting to find her sister in an unconscious heap, only to look in puzzlement at her own feet dangling over a foot off the ground because _he_ had her suspended by her throat.

"What do you want?" Noni grabbed her attackers forearm with both hands in an attempt to pry his hand from her throat. _It was like trying to shift a steel girder._ It took a moment for her eyes to refocus after he slammed the back of her head against the brick wall she was held against. After that she wisely stopped struggling.

"Start talking." Noni desperately looked for another option, _there was no way out, there was no escape._ Halla was still unconscious and probably in need of medical attention. And the reason why was currently holding her over a foot off the ground by her throat. Calling for help would do no good, _there were no good samaritans in downtown L.A._

From the corner of her eye she caught sight of Miss Morgan gracefully striding toward them like a model on a catwalk, the sound of her high heels echoing in the dank and dirty alleyway.

"Last chance." Noni watched as the ever confidant Miss Morgan came to a stop by the opposite wall without allowing it to touch any part of her. Standing elegantly poised with her arms folded across her chest and resting an automatic handgun against one arm.

"We work for Wolfram and Hart." There was no point in denying it. Besides, the company name came with a certain amount of protection. _Everybody knew not to mess with Wolfram and Hart, if this guy realised just how much trouble he was in maybe she could get herself and Halla out of this._

"He already knows that honey." Noni's eyes snapped to Miss Morgan who just winked at her with a predatory smile, sending a shiver racing up and down Noni's spine. _There would be no help coming from her._

"Do you know what will happen to you if you kill us." The smile he flashed her was even more frightening than Miss Morgans. Several of the bricks in the wall next to Noni's head exploded, the shards stinging her skin, as he punched through the wall with his free hand.

"Who said anything about killing you?" Noni felt her insides turn to ice as fear sped up her thought processes. _If this man could wreck a car without a scratch he could easily tear me limb from limb. _

"I'm not a mind reader like some people here. But I think he wants a name." Miss Morgan's mocking smile was positively carnivorous. _Bitch is enjoying this! _

"I can't tell you that!" Panic laced her voice as she looked at the two questioning her. _Surely they understood what would happen to her if she gave away that information? _Miss Morgan looked down and using the toe of her shoe rolled Halla onto her back with a less than gentle shove. The illumination provided be the nearby street light allowing a clear look at the oozing head wound.

"She's running out of time and you're running out of excuses." Noni looked from _his_ eyes to Miss Morgans eyes and felt as though she was looking into the eyes of two predators eying up their next meal. _It's like being stuck between a lion and a tiger, either way I'm as good as dead._

"Please! I need to get her to a hospital." As soon as she said it, Noni knew it was a mistake. Miss Morgan pointed her gun at Halla's head.

"Then you'd better talk fast."

* * *

The mind reader had given up everything. The two sisters had been hired by Linwood Morrow to spy on her and report back their findings. For some reason they couldn't get anything from Kal or herself, _something to do with the pregnancy?_ either way, being immune to mind readers was definitely a plus.

For the first time that Lilah could remember, the aloof, superior looks that those mind readers had always worn had been wiped away and replaced by fear. _They really couldn't tell what we were thinking, which levelled the playing field nicely._

Lilah had been treated to a front row seat of just what Kal was capable of. _Interesting didn't even begin to cover it. _As far as she could tell, he was incredibly fast, ridiculously strong and impervious to harm. _Or imported sports cars and brick walls at least._

The very thought of having that much power at her command made her heart thump with excitement at the possibilities. _If I could find a way to harness that power, I could dictate my own terms to the senior partners._

Lilah Morgan had learned long ago to never hesitate when it came to seizing an opportunity.

Which was why thanks to using a little misdirection and sleight of hand, Kal's glass from Caritas was sitting on the desk in her home study and her computer was running through a national database to find a fingerprint match.

While they were talking she had gotten in his face when she noticed his eyes wandering. He may have been a demon, but he was still male, and it seemed still vulnerable to her charms. _And no heterosexual male was going to ignore looking at the female form when it was on display._

While his eyes were looking down the neckline of her dress, she had switched his empty glass with hers.

Not that she had needed to. _Those mind readers had provided an even better distraction._ Allowing her to pocket his glass unnoticed as they left the club.

A beep from her computer alerted Lilah to a match. Looking at the screen she smiled.

"Well, well, well, hello Clark Kent."


End file.
